Air Suspension Question

[LISDHornet15]

4 Corner Air Suspension

I am looking at trading in my '10 Chevy P.O.S. for a '13 Laramie Longhorn. I've test driven one with the A8 and am pretty much sold on it. Is the 4 corner air suspension worth the $1600? Can you tell a difference in ride quality between the coil spring suspension and the 4 corner air suspension?

 

[kxlexus]

Definitely worth it to me. Not the ride quality as much as the improvement in handling

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

If you dont intend on doing any suspension mods like lift or lower, i say go for it. It does have a nice ride

 

[Chewy]

Everyone that gets in the truck is amazed by the ride. I'd say it's a bit less jarring. It handles decently too.

 

[Bombdigitty]

lol...If your buying a brand new 8spd laramie longhorn....are you really concerned with $1600?

Dont they claim better hwy mpgs as well over the std. 8 spd....cause you can suck it down on the highway...?


No to mention the "cool factor"

 

[muleywannabe]

I ordered the 4 corner. who cares about $1,600 bucks when you have already spent $40K plus...get it, you wont be disappoited

 

[LISDHornet15]

Thanks for all of the input. I'll probably end up making sure I get a Longhorn that has the air suspension on it. I can't wait to get rid of my Chevy piece of crap and rejoin the Ram family!!

 

[RJWNY]

I ordered a 14 Sport CC with air ride...

can't wait.

 

[Corbin]

I was playing with the adjustable ride height in one the other day, pretty cool! Aftermarket mud flaps almost touching the ground, haha!

 

[dpinvidic]

I have a Laramie, and the air suspension is Std.
It does ride nice. I don't two, so don't know about that.
Couple of things I noticed. If you put too much weight in the bed, you might get a msg. about air suspension is disabled. This is in the manual.
The compressor will run now and then when it is parked for automatic leveling.
It has "Aero" mode, and lowers the truck 1/2" on the highway.
It also has "Entry/Exit" mode, it goes all the way down so grandma can get it easily.
There is also two hidden modes, one is for flatbed towing, the other is for tire changing.


One problem I am seeing is the if the truck sits a day or two, and I activate the Entry mode with the key fob, it start, then stops lowering and says my battery is low, I should start the truck. I measure the battery and it is 12.3V. I think the circuit that senses the battery is giving a low reading.


Dan

 

[PTCTreeGuy]

Is there a secondary battery in the air system? Think I have seen a couple threads about the low battery warning and people testing their battery at 12-13 volts. It could be the system doesn't have enough in it to run without recharging with the truck running?

 

[dpinvidic]

Is there a secondary battery in the air system? Think I have seen a couple threads about the low battery warning and people testing their battery at 12-13 volts. It could be the system doesn't have enough in it to run without recharging with the truck running?

There is just one battery. The tech told me that the system has a 11.6V threshold where it will inhibit the air suspension from running (compressor will be damaged if run on too low of a voltage).
But there are two parts to this.
1. Does the electronics measure the battery correctly
2. Does the battery have a low voltage
3. The firmware contains the wrong threshold setting.

I measure under the hood and see 12.2 volts in the morning before I start the truck.
I just ordered a scan tool so I could see what voltage the computer see's.

This is only a problem when you use the KEYFOB to lower the truck when it is parked...the motor is not running at that time.

Dan

 

[Canuckfe]

I bought a '14 cc a couple weeks ago.
Found another use for the entry/exit mode.

Allowed me to enter an above ground parkade that has those stupid over height bars. Problem is with the snow/ice buildup on the deck the 6'6" max height becomes 6'2" real quick.

I would have been popular had I had to back out of the 200yard on ramp.

 

[LISDHornet15]

I found a nail in my front left tire yesterday and need to get it patched up. I'm going to take it to a local garage to get it fixed, but I don't want them to screw up my air suspension in the process. I know I can put it in "tire jack" mode in order to disable the self-leveling system. Can I put it in "tire jack" mode when I drop it off, or does their service tech need to put it in that mode when they pull it into the garage to work on it? This is making me really nervous!

 

[ironhead3fan]

This is straight from the Owners Manual

Tire/Jack Mode – If Equipped
When this feature is selected the air suspension system is
disabled to assist with changing a spare tire. To make
your selection, press and release the SELECT button until
a check-mark appears next to the feature showing the
system has been activated or the check-mark is removed
showing the system has been deactivated.

• Four Corner Air Suspension Modes — If Equipped
There are four air suspension modes designed to protect
the system in unique situations. Tire Jack Mode is selected
to assist in changing a spare tire. Transport Mode
is selected to assist when the vehicle is being flat bed
towed. Wheel Alignment Mode is selected before performing
a wheel alignment, refer to your authorized
dealer for information. Protection Mode will automatically
be selected in order to “protect” the air suspension
system when the payload has been exceeded or load
leveling cannot be achieved.

• Tire/Jack Mode
• To assist with changing a spare tire, the air suspension
system has a feature which allows the automatic
leveling to be disabled. This mode is intended to be
used with engine running. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.

• Tire/Jack Mode – indicator lamps 3 and 6 will be
illuminated. Tire/Jack Mode is disabled by driving the
vehicle.

 

[dpinvidic]

I found a nail in my front left tire yesterday and need to get it patched up. I'm going to take it to a local garage to get it fixed, but I don't want them to screw up my air suspension in the process. I know I can put it in "tire jack" mode in order to disable the self-leveling system. Can I put it in "tire jack" mode when I drop it off, or does their service tech need to put it in that mode when they pull it into the garage to work on it? This is making me really nervous!

If you have the nav system, go to settings, then at the bottom is the vehicle stuff. You should set it, then turn off the truck. Start the truck a few minutes later to confirm it REMAINS in the Jack mode.

Dan

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

I bought a '14 cc a couple weeks ago.
Found another use for the entry/exit mode.

Allowed me to enter an above ground parkade that has those stupid over height bars. Problem is with the snow/ice buildup on the deck the 6'6" max height becomes 6'2" real quick.

I would have been popular had I had to back out of the 200yard on ramp.

I was under the assumption once you started moving the vehicle kicked you out of entry/exit mode?

 

[dpinvidic]

I was under the assumption once you started moving the vehicle kicked you out of entry/exit mode?

There is a speed limit associated with it...it might be 15 or 20 miles per hour.
It is in the manual somewhere.

I have pulled mine out of the garage in entry mode, and when I got to the street there was a fair bump ( I think it hit the bump stop).

Dan

 

[Mr.Asmith9]

There is a speed limit associated with it...it might be 15 or 20 miles per hour.
It is in the manual somewhere.

I looked it up in the manual and this is what it said in detail.
"Entry/Exit Mode (Lowers the vehicle approximately 2 in (51 mm) – This position lowers the vehicle for easier passenger entry and exit as well as lowering the rear of the vehicle for easier loading and unloading of cargo. To enter Entry/Exit Mode, press the “Down” button once from the NRH while the vehicle speed is below 33 mph (53 km/h). Once the vehicle speed goes below 15 mph (24 km/h) the vehicle height will begin to lower. If the vehicle speed remains between 15 mph and 25 mph (40 km/h) for greater than 60 seconds, or the vehicle speed exceeds 25 mph the Entry/Exit change will be cancelled. To return to Normal Height Mode, press the “Up” button once while in Entry/Exit or drive the vehicle over 15 mph. Entry/Exit mode may not be available due to vehicle payload, an EVIC message will be displayed when this occurs."

If anyone want to know what the manual says about the other modes let me know and I'll post those too.

 

[supra fly]

How do these trucks look in off road 2? I am considering it too, just want to level the truck. If the off road settings are near a level look then great...

Can you keep the truck in these off road settings? Or does it lower when u park and get out of the truck? Is it too much strain in the system to leave it in off road 2?

I understand that at highway speeds the truck goes to aero setting, but around town could it stay in off road 2?